Sign of the Times
by lokyisa
Summary: Sakura has always had dreams of becoming a famous drummer, so when she gets called in to audition for an upcoming band for Sasuke Uchiha - a pop star who has decided to go in a new direction - she doesn't hesitate to show up. When she gets the job, Sakura realizes that her new job is even bigger than she had imagined.


**Author's Note:** The idea for this story came to me recently and I just wanted to get it out before I forgot about it. :) To anyone who has been sticking with me, I'm sorry for disappearing last year! I currently have writer's block with the rest of my stories, which I hope goes away eventually, so unfortunately everything else is on an indefinite hiatus. I've been really busy lately with my job but I miss writing!

Like usual, please tell me what you think about my story so far. I'm hoping to add more soon. :) And as always, thank you for reading!

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I waited outside of the audition room, nervously. This was a gig that my roommate, Hinata, had discovered from a friend-of-a-friend. An upcoming artist needed a band to back him up for the new music that he was writing - he was trying to go a in new direction. I had been given some clues as to what we would be playing - 70's rock was what I had been told to prepare, but also a few other excerpts, along with an improvised section.

The audition required us to be so well-rounded that I was sure I wasn't going to make it. When they weren't looking, I studied the other drummers in the room, they were all male and only some were actually around my age. I knew the world of a female drummer and it was hard. Quite a few times I had already had some "helpful" explanations about my technique from several different guys. I had also been questioned a few times about my qualifications, nothing that I would have had to deal with if I was one of the boys, I'm sure.

I sat in the hard plastic chair that I had been sent to, trying to focus. Several of the drummers had their sticks out already, probably trying to psyche out the rest of the competition. One of the guys close by was playing rudiments on a practice pad - nothing that I hadn't learned before.

The door to the audition room - a small stage, I had been told - opened, and a woman in a blazer and pencil skirt stepped out. The man who had auditioned followed her out of the room, looking annoyed.

"Sakura Haruno." The woman read my name off of her clipboard.

Everyone stared at me as I stood up. I saw several smirks from some of the more confident-looking boys. I ignored them. I had to stay focused if I was going to get through this. I needed something to show everyone - to show myself that I wasn't crazy for working as a waitress waiting for my big break. I had to do this.

"Mr. Uchiha is here today," she told me once we stepped into the auditorium. "He wants everything to be authentic. I'm sure you don't know this, but we've found someone for every place in the band besides a drummer. The rest of the band is here as well to see how you all fit together."

I could see the other musicians fiddling with their instruments. There was a guitarist, bass guitarist, and a keyboardist that were waiting on stage. I could tell that it had been a long day for them already by the tired looks in their eyes.

The bass player smiled. She had long blonde hair with an undercut on one side, and dramatic eye makeup. "Finally, one girl."

I smiled back at her, feeling the solidarity that female musicians had for one another at certain times. "It's nice to meet you guys," I said, wondering if there was anything else that I needed to say.

Now that my eyes had adjusted to the stage lighting, I could see a few dark figures in the small auditorium area. I wondered who they were. Would it be rude to ask?

Shizune gestured to a drumset in the back. "Please, go ahead and take a seat and make sure everything is adjusted the way you like it. Everyone, this is Sakura."

The guitarist, a boy with messy blond hair, waved at me, but the keyboardist ignored me. Oh well.

I turned to the drumset. It wasn't too bad, but I had to make a couple of adjustments with a few of the stands. The last guy had apparently liked his drums a certain way.

"We're going to start with the first excerpt. This will be with the band only, and then we'll add vocals." Shizune said. At this point, it was probably just routine. I wondered how long they had been here, playing the same excerpts over and over.

I started the line with a couple of hits to my drums, and just like that, I was focused and ready. The rest of the band joined in. It was simple enough, and everyone had seemed to be in line with each other.

"Good," I heard a voice say, and Sasuke Uchiha was suddenly on stage with us. I was suddenly starstruck. Even though I hadn't even been a huge fan of his music - he had been a relatively successful pop musician - it still felt surreal to have him up on the small stage with us. I had to admit, he didn't seem as cold as he always did in magazines and interviews that I had seen him in. I figured that he must have been more comfortable being in his element.

"Now to add vocals." Shizune said. She nodded to Sasuke. "Shall we continue with the song that they were supposed to learn?"

He nodded, looking back to me. "Whenever you're ready."

I took a deep breath and started the song that I had been playing. It was unnamed, and I had only heard a recording with the instrumentals. I had been allowed to come up with my own sections as well - hence, the improvising portion of the audition. It seemed like whoever had written it had wanted the band to have some creative freedom. I had ended up settling on a slow beginning, working it up to a climax in the middle. That's how it had felt to me, anyway.

The others joined in, and then Sasuke started to sing. I had to admit, this style of music suited him. It was sort of reminiscent of David Bowie in a way - the kind of otherworldly music that feels like it comes from a different time. There was something magical in how the words fit in.

Strangely, I managed to stay calm and nailed almost all of my improved sections. I looked around, wondering if anyone would show on their face how I was doing in the audition, but like true professionals, the band stayed focused on the music. If anything, I could tell why they had already been chosen - they fit together like pieces of a machine. They lit up when the music started.

When the climax of the song happened, I went all out and so did the rest of the band. I was happy to see that it fit well with the lyrics. Sasuke seemed like a completely different person than the sullen boy that I had pictured. In that moment, it felt like his singing contained the whole universe. It felt magical.

It ended, and I fought the urge to cry. I wondered if anyone else had felt the way that I did, or if that was just normal. Suddenly, I realized that I really wanted to be part of this. Whatever it was.

There was a smattering of applause from the audience. Even Shizune clapped from where she had been standing on the side.

"How did that sound?" Sasuke asked the figures that had been applauding.

"Excellent," someone replied. "That was probably the best yet."

My eyes widened. The bass guitarist winked at me.

Sasuke turned around, smiling. His smile stunned me, it was so genuine. Here was someone who loved what he did. "I agree."

Shizune laughed. "We still have a few more auditioners, but you'll have a result in the next few days. Just a little bit of deliberation."

I nodded. "Thank you for your time."

I walked out then, wondering what had just happened.

The next day, I received a call from Shizune.

"Hello, is this Sakura?" She asked politely.

"That's me," I answered, somewhat groggily. I had been working late last night at the restaurant where I waited tables full-time.

"Sorry for waking you up." She laughed. "I just wanted to call to extend the offer of becoming part of Mr. Uchiha's band. You ended up having the best audition and you were his first choice."

I gaped. "I accept, of course."

"Great!" She chirped. "I'll have the contract written up today and you can come sign it tomorrow. Full-band rehearsals start in Hidden Leaf Studios next Monday. I'll have the packet of songs that you're suppose to learn sent up to you as soon as possible."

"That sounds great," I replied. "Thank you!" I hung up and screamed so loud that it woke up my roommate, Hinata.

"Oh my God," Hinata rubbed her eyes, which still had the mascara from the night before. It smudged impressively. "I thought you were dying. What's wrong?"

"I GOT THE JOB!" I screamed. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

Hinata screamed then, jumping up and down with me. "I knew that you would get it, seeing as how you practice so much! I better get half of your paycheck since I have to put up with it," she joked.

The music that Shizune promised was delivered later that day. I took one look at the packet and realized that it was enough music for an entire album - there was a good chance that I would be busy with this for a long time. This was bigger than I had imagined.

I didn't realize it at the time, but my life was about to change forever.


End file.
